TLC Tour Review - - The Last Rodeo

The Last Rodeo
By Delores Fossen
Wrangler's Creek - Book 9
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: June 26, 2018
Reviewed by PJ

There's a reason the people of Wrangler's Creek call rancher and businessman Lucian Granger "Lucifer." Nobody would ever accuse this hard-nosed workaholic of having softer emotions, not even his family. Throughout this series, Lucian has been at the helm of his family's business, estranged from one of his younger brothers, and engaged in a land feud with his cousins. The only person who isn't ready to toss him off a cliff is his assistant of several years, Karlee O'Malley. But now, when the father who abandoned both the Granger family and the family business, returns with nefarious plans, when Lucian needs her more than ever before, Karlee resigns and announces a plan to start her own business.

Karlee O'Malley has been in love with Lucian Granger since she was a teen. Pretty much everybody in Wrangler's Creek knows how she feels...except Lucian. Since being dumped by the woman he planned to marry several years ago, Lucian's love life has been a revolving door and Karlee has had a front row seat. It's time to cut the cord but, hopefully, keep the friendship. Things take a turn when Lucian's absent father, who still owns the majority shares of the family business, returns. In a bid to save the ranch and family business from his father, Karlee and Lucian pretend to be an engaged couple on the verge of settling down. Karlee is determined to keep her emotions out of the role she's now playing while Lucian's emotions have been on lockdown for years. But one kiss is all it takes for Lucian's eyes to be opened. And the more time they spend together as a "couple" following that kiss, the more both of them start wondering if they should ditch the pretend engagement and start planning a real future together.

I wasn't expecting to like Lucian - he's not been portrayed in a positive light at all in the previous books of this series -  but I was intrigued by him. As I suspected, there was much more to his story. Once the events of his past began to be revealed, it shed light on the reasons for his actions, both of the past and the present, and I found myself warming to him and cheering for him to win his battle...and his love. I was in Karlee's corner from the start. I appreciated her strength, her compassion, and her willingness to fight for what she wanted. Neither she nor Lucian realize it at the beginning, but she's his perfect match in every way. I enjoyed watching both of them bring out the best in the other on a journey to love that is not without its challenges. 

As with most Delores Fossen books, there's a fair amount of humor sprinkled throughout as well as deep emotion and conflict. I don't think you have to read the entire Wrangler's Creek series to fully appreciate Lucian and Karlee's story but I would suggest at least reading Lucian's brothers' stories in the previous two books, Texas-Sized Trouble:Cowboy Dreaming and Lone Star Blues (though I've enjoyed all the books in the series). The Granger family dynamics are complex and, as all members of Lucian's immediate family have key roles in The Last Rodeo, you'll have a deeper understanding and appreciation for this final book with the broader base of knowledge provided in the earlier stories.

Blog Tour Review - - Branded as Trouble

Branded as Trouble
By Delores Fossen
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Reviewed by PJ

Every town needs a bad boy, and Wrangler's Creek's has been gone far too long… 

Getting his high school girlfriend pregnant was just one square in Roman Granger's checkered past, but it changed him forever. When his son's mother skipped town after the birth, Roman decided to do the same, baby Tate in tow, hoping for a fresh start. 

Now Roman fears his teenage son is following in his wayward footsteps, so he returns home to Wrangler's Creek, aiming to set him straight. It's there he encounters Tate's cousin Mila Banchini, the good-girl opposite of Roman who's had a crush on him since childhood. The old spark between them undeniably never died, though Roman worries it'll only lead to heartache. But if falling for Mila is such a bad idea, why does everything about holding her feel so right?

Mila Banchini has a lot going for her. She's smart, pretty, a good friend, and owner of the local bookstore. She also has a wacky mother most people in town steer clear of and, oh yeah, she's most likely the only virgin over the age of 25 in Wrangler's Creek. Plenty of men (of all ages) are willing to help with her "little problem" but Mila's heart has always been set on Roman Granger. Too bad Roman fell for her self-centered cousin in high school. In the years since Mila's cousin left town, abandoning Roman and their baby son, Roman has hooked up with pretty much everyone except Mila. But now, after many years away, circumstances have brought Roman back to Wrangler's Creek and Mila intends to make the most of it while he's there, even if her heart does get broken when he leaves.

I've been intrigued by the absent Granger son, Roman since the first book in this series. We knew he was estranged from his mother, that he owns the Granger ranch but wants nothing to do with it, that he's a successful businessman in his own right, that's he's a motorcycle-riding hottie with a badass attitude and that he's trying his best to be a good father to his troubled son...and failing miserably. What we didn't know was what had happened in the past to bring Roman Granger to this point, why he'd never given Mila a second glance (or had he?) and why he never, ever, under any circumstances, had sex with a woman more than three times. I was more than ready to find out the answers to all these questions and more in Branded as Trouble.   

Delores Fossen has become one of my go-to contemporary western romance authors. She creates wonderfully complex families and well-developed, likable characters, giving them challenges to overcome and journeys to love in stories infused with heat, heart, and plenty of humor. She isn't afraid to tackle serious topics - as she does in Branded as Trouble - but does so with compassion and hope. Her books are filled with realistic characters: some quirky, some serious, some annoying, some fun, some shy, and some oozing with sex appeal, playing them against one another like a well-tuned orchestra. I've enjoyed all the books in this series but Mila and Roman's story is my favorite. What can I say? I've always loved a bad boy with a wounded heart. And Mila, what a terrific heroine. I loved her strength, her compassion, and her determination to take control of her destiny and not settle for less than what she deserved. 

If you enjoy western-set, contemporary romances filled with fun, sizzle, humor, and emotion, go no further than Delores Fossen's Wrangler's Creek series: Those Texas Nights (Sophie Granger and Clay McKinnon), No Getting Over a Cowboy (Garrett Granger and Nicky Marlow) and Branded as Trouble (Roman Granger and Mila Banchini). 

Do you enjoy western romances?

Have you read any of Delores Fossen's books? Do you have a favorite?

Do you like your heroes with a bit of attitude but a vulnerable heart?

One person who leaves a comment by 11:00 (EST), August 16, 2017 will receive a print copy of Branded as Trouble from the publisher. (U.S./Canada only)

One person who leaves a comment today will receive a signed copy of Branded as Trouble that I got at the recent RWA conference. (U.S. only) 

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